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Hummus- the Chickpea Dip

This notorious dip is an absolute globe trotter. We have met in Dubai, Istanbul, Bangkok, Singapore, London, Toronto and almost every other place I have been to. Quite the traveler and welcomed by everybody! Hummus is a very frequent visitor at our house as well…. we were bound to become fast friends since we keep running into one another. What’s more is that the +Two and Gadget Guy are absolutely in love with her… and you know what? I’m okay with that! 🙂

Her baggage includes a can of chickpeas, lemon juice, tahina paste, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and salt.

The most authentic recipe of Hummus calls for raw garlic, but I preferred the sweeter and mellow flavor of slow roasted garlic. Even pickled garlic gives quite a zing!

Squeeze a lemon or two and fish out the seeds till you have 2 tablespoons worth of lemon juice.

Drain the can of chickpeas and reserve the liquid. Combine the chickpeas, garlic cloves/clove, tahina paste, salt and 4 tablespoons of the reserved liquid in a food processor and give it a good whizz while pouring in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil slowly. Hummus is smooth so you can blend heedlessly.

Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice and whizz some more. Add more lemon juice to adjust to personal taste and depending on how sour your lemons are! 😉 (pun intended) The sourness should be very subtle.

If you swipe some off from the side of the processor jug ….which I know you will… it should hold and not drip (And you can lick that right off!!!) For a healthier option you can also add yogurt instead of olive oil. But hey! I consider olive oil to be healthy alright!

Take the Hummus out in a deep bowl. With a teaspoon or your finger, create a swirl on the surface of the dip. Sprinkle with some coriander powder and black olives and spread a layer of olive oil over the surface- serve cold. Personally I love olive oil so I’m quite generous with it. Coriander powder is optional, I sometime sprinkle sumac or smoked paprika……EVERYTHING just tastes so darn great that it’s hard to go wrong!

The thick and creamy richness of hummus pairs well with almost all breads, fruits and vegetables! Serve it with pita bread, breadsticks; a crusty loaf; apple wedges, whole strawberries, cucumber, carrot or celery sticks. And although Hummus is a dip you can use it as a topping or as a spread. Its makes a delicious spread for wraps!

I love the luxury of reaching home to chilled hummus (made earlier of course) during hot summer afternoons when the relentless sun pretty much kills the appetite. I also feel like SUPER MOM knowing the +Two had a generous helping of proteins, fruits and veggies without any coaxing!